National indifference and dynastic loyalty in comparative perspective: The demise of the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires revisited

Abstract

The demise of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of the First World War marked the end of centuries of multi-ethnic coexistence. To this day, outside the field of history, the perception of both empires is rooted in the idea of the inevitability of their demise, which, as the story goes, was due to the strength of nationalist movements and the intensity of inter-ethnic strife. The ‘orientalising’ of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire has been translated into current understandings of Central Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East and their politics. While ethnic clashes have characterised the histories of these regions in the 20th century and nationalisms still play a central role in their politics, from Hungary to Turkey, national indifference, dynastic loyalty and multi-ethnic coexistence had been central to the life of the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Habsburg and Ottoman Empires.